Category Archives: Michelle

Andy, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 335 – BELIEVE

February 19, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

I’m back in the Cyclone State from a whirlwind Computer Mine trip to Pittsburgh. I mostly sat on my couch on Friday night petting Naima, not wanting to move, and catching up on THE PEACEMAKER and THE GILDED AGE. I also watched the new TEXAS CHAINSAW MASSACRE. That is an experience that I do not recommend.

Now it is Saturday morning and it is time to share the submissions for BELIEVE. I thought that BELIEVE would be a streak busting abstract concept, but while it wasn’t super popular, many stalwarts had quite a few photographic examples of BELIEVE. I can’t say that I’m pleasantly surprised at how many submissions I got for such an abstract concept. Maybe BELIEVE made me BELIEVE in the rogue group of misfits just a little bit more.

As of 10:59 AM on Monday, February 14, this was the current list of ACTIVE streaks: (IF they did not submit a picture by one more tick of the minute hand, then their streak went poof, like my belief in southern hospitality did in a North Carolina airport on Friday. POOF!)

+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
+ Dawn Krause – 2 weeks
+ Mike Vest – 2 weeks
+ Joe Duff – 3 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 3 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 3 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 3 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 3 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 4 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 5 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 5 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 5 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 6 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 7 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 11 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 12 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 14 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 14 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 17 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Evie Gorshe – 1 Week

Andy Sharp – 7 weeks

Joe Duff – 4 weeks

Micky Augustin – 6 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 4 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Jesse Howard – 6 weeks

Carla Stensland – 4 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 13 weeks

Kim Barker – 15 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 7 weeks

Becky Parmelee

Becky Paremelee

Bill Wentworth – 8 weeks

Cathie Raley – 12 weeks

Kio Dettman – 18 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 5 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 15 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 4 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Monica Henning – 6 weeks

21 submissions from 17 participants, that is a solid week. Only 4 streaks went poof. Jen could build her streak to two. Dawn and Vest both saw 2 week streaks snapped. Logan had a 3 week streak go the way of the dodo bird.

Here is the current top streaks:

1. Kio – 18 weeks
2. Shannon – 15 weeks
2. Kim – 15 weeks
4. Elizabeth – 13 weeks
5. Cathie – 12 weeks.

Also, if you can’t tell from Cathie’s image, she got engaged last weekend. So CONGRATULATIONS CATHIE!!!

But enough dwelling on the past. Time to look to the future. We are all interested in the future, for that is where you and I are going to spend the rest of our lives. And remember my friend, future events such as these will affect you in the future! This week’s theme:

STILL LIFE

STILL LIFE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what exactly is a STILL LIFE image? A STILL LIFE image is simply a picture of an inanimate object or objects. The object can be manmade or it can be from nature. A flower or a plant is a subject for a STILL LIFE image. A dog or a human being is not a subject for a STILL LIFE image. Food is a popular STILL LIFE subject. The great thing about STILL LIFE photography is it allows the photographer to manipulate his subject.

Meditate on the following quote while considering your inanimate subject for you submission from one of the greatest photographers of all-time, Diane Arbus:

I really believe there are things nobody would see if I didn’t photograph them.”

I look forward to seeing your interpretations!

RULES

The picture has to be taken between 12:01 PM today and 11 AM next Monday. This isn’t a curate your photos project. This is a get your butt off the couch (unless you are taking your picture from the couch) and take pictures challenge.

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of STILL LIFE in this place that is little more than my life held still on Monday.

Andy, Automobiles, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Jen, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 334 – JUNK

February 7, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

JUNK has not proved to be a fairly popular theme.

Heading into the 5th week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, the following streaks were active:

+ Mike Vest – 1 week
+ Dawn Krause – 1 week
+ Joe Duff – 2 weeks
+ Layla Gorshe – 2 weeks
+ Logan Kahler – 2 weeks
+ Teresa Kahler – 2 weeks
+ Tamara Peterson – 2 weeks
+ Carla Stensland – 2 weeks
+ Michelle Haupt – 3 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 4 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 4 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 4 weeks
+ Evie Gorshe – 5 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 5 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 5 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 6 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 10 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 11 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 13 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 13 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 16 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Elizabeth Nordeen – 12 weeks

Andy Sharp – 6 weeks

Joe Duff – 3 weeks

Kio Dettman – 17 weeks

Kio Dettman

Bill Wentworth – 7 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Teresa Kahler – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 3 weeks

Michelle Haupt – 4 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 14 weeks

Dawn Krause – 2 weeks

Becky Parmelee – 6 weeks

Micky Augustin – 5 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week (Assist by Beck)

Logan Kahler – 3 weeks

Carla Stensland – 3 weeks

Cathie Raley – 11 weeks

Mike Vest – 2 weeks

Jesse Howard – 5 weeks

Monica Henning – 5 weeks

Kim Barker – 14 weeks

22 submissions from 21 participants! That is a good week!

Only 2 streaks were broke this week. Layla had a streak of 2 weeks snapped and Evie had a streak of 5 weeks snapped. Their Mom picked up the slack though by hopefully starting out a new streak this week.

The current top streaks:

#1. Kio – 17 weeks
#2. Kim – 14 weeks
#2. Shannon – 14 weeks
#4. Elizabeth – 12 weeks
#5. Cathie – 11 weeks

BELIEVE

BELIEVE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

I’m going to be 100% transparent on this theme. It is 100% inspired by TED LASSO. Let’s face it, if you aren’t watching TED LASSO, then you are watching television wrong! You better do something about it. Like start watching TED LASSO!

All of that being said, what is a BELIEVE image. While on the surface, this seems like a very abstract, conceptual streak killing theme, it is really quite simple. All you have to do is take a picture of something you BELIEVE in. BELIEVE in Jesus? Take a picture that reflects your Christian faith. Or whatever religion you practice. BELIEVE in your favorite sports team. Take a picture that reflects your rooting interests. BELIEVE that education is the foundation of a successful life, take a picture of that. BELIEVE in your children? BELIEVE in gravity? BELIEVE the world is flat? If you think about it, you BELIEVE in a lot of things.

While considering the possible subjects for your BELIEVE image, meditate on the following quote from a speech my man Ted Lasso gave in Season 1 Episode 10:

I’ve been hearing this phrase y’all got over here that I ain’t too crazy about. “It’s the hope that kills you.” Y’all know that? I disagree, you know? I think it’s the lack of hope that comes and gets you. See, I believe in hope. I believe in belief. Now, where I’m from, we got a saying too. A question, actually. “Do you believe in miracles?”
– Ted Lasso

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of BELIEF in this place that is little more than a collection of my beliefs next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Dad, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Michelle, Micky, Mom, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 333 – #LOVE

January 31, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

#LOVE has proven to be a popular theme. Which is good, I’m glad so many people have #LOVE in their lives.

Heading into the 4th week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, these were the current streaks:

+ Logan Kahler – 1 week
+ Layla Gorshe – 1 week
+ Carla Stensland – 1 week
+ Tamara Peterson – 1 week
+ Robyn Augustin – 1 week
+ Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week
+ Joe Duff – 1 week
+ Teresa Kahler – 1 week
+ Michelle Haupt – 2 weeks
+ Jesse Howard – 3 weeks
+ Micky Augustin – 3 weeks
+ Monica Henning – 3 weeks
+ Evie Gorshe – 4 weeks
+ Andy Sharp – 4 weeks
+ Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks
+ Bill Wentworth – 5 weeks
+ Cathie Raley – 9 weeks
+ Elizabeth Nordeen – 10 weeks
+ Kim Barker – 12 weeks
+ Shannon Bardole-Foley – 12 weeks
+ Kio Dettman – 15 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Bill Wentworth – 6 weeks

Carla Stensland – 2 weeks

Kio Dettman – 16 weeks

Kio Dettman

Michelle Haupt – 3 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 2 weeks

Christopher D. Bennett

Logan Kahler – 2 weeks

Logan Kahler

Kim Barker – 13 weeks

Evie Gorshe – 5 weeks

Andy Sharp – 5 weeks

Layla Gorshe – 2 weeks

Teresa Kahler – 2 weeks

Teresa Kahler

Micky Augustin – 4 weeks

Joe Duff – 2 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 11 weeks

Jesse Howard – 4 weeks

Mike Vest – 1 week

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 13 weeks

Dawn Krause – 1 week

Becky Parmelee – 5 weeks

Cathie Raley – 10 weeks

Monica Henning – 4 weeks

27 submissions from 22 participants! 22 participants ties last week’s record! WooHoo!

Only 2 streaks were broken. Jen and Robyn could not extend that streak out to two.

The four longest streaks remained intact and Cathie joined the world of double digit streaks.

Here are the top streaks:

#1. Kio – 16 weeks
#2. Kim – 13 weeks
#2. Shannon – 13 weeks
#4. Elizabeth – 11 weeks
#5. Cathie – 10 weeks

JUNK

JUNK! What a great theme for Week 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a JUNK image? Simply put, it is any picture that involves JUNK in the composition. It can be as simple as opening up your JUNK drawer and taking a picture. I have at least 5 JUNK drawers in my house and one more in the office. You could got to a local salvage yard. You could go to a local “antique” store. It could be simply a picture of something you don’t like. There are numerous definitions of JUNK and feel free to explore any of those definitions. I think you know the definition I’m talking about.

While considering your possible subjects for JUNK, consider the following quote from terrible human being Thomas Edison:

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
-Thomas Edison

I look forward to seeing your interpretations.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of JUNK in this place that is little more than a collection of all my leftovers next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Carla, Cathie, Elizabeth, Evie, Jen, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Layla, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Naima, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 332 – TRIANGLE

January 24, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

So far TRIANGLE has been a fairly popular theme. In fact, it was a record setting theme! More on that later.

Heading into the third week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, these were the current streaks:

* Mike Vest – 1 week
* Michelle Haupt – 1 week
* Monica Henning – 2 weeks
* Micky Augustin – 2 weeks
* Jesse Howard – 2 weeks
* Becky Parmelee – 3 weeks
* Andy Sharp – 3 weeks
* Evie Gorshe – 3 weeks
* Bill Wentworth – 4 weeks
* Dawn Krause – 5 weeks
* Cathie Raley – 8 weeks
* Elizabeth Nordeen – 9 weeks
* Kim Barker – 11 weeks
* Shannon Bardole-Foley – 11 weeks
* Kio Dettman – 14 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participations rates. You came to see the submissions:

Christopher D. Bennett

Jesse Howard – 3 weeks

Elizabeth Nordeen – 10 weeks

Carla Stensland – 1 week

Kio Dettman – 15 weeks

Kio Dettman

Bill Wentworth – 5 weeks

Layla Gorshe – 1 week

Evie Gorshe – 4 weeks

Kim Barker – 12 weeks

Tamara Peterson – 1 week

Michelle Haupt – 2 weeks

Robyn Augustin – 1 week

Micky Augustin – 3 weeks

Monica Henning – 3 weeks

Monica Henning

Logan Kahler – 1 week

Logan Kahler

Andy Sharp – 4 weeks

Shannon Bardole-Foley – 12 weeks

Jen Ensley-Gorshe – 1 week

Becky Parmelee – 4 weeks

Joe Duff – 1 week

Teresa Kahler – 1 week

Teresa Kahler

Cathie Raley – 9 weeks

Very impressive! 28 submissions from 22 participants! I think the 22 participants might be a new THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE record! Only two streaks were snapped. Mike Vest’s “streak” of 1 week did not extend to 2 weeks. Dawn Krause’s streak of 5 weeks ends at 5.

The three longest streaks remained intact and Elizabeth joined the world of double digit streaks.

Here are the top streaks:

#1. Kio – 15 weeks
#2. Kim – 12 weeks
#2. Shannon – 12 weeks
#4. Elizabeth – 10 weeks

#LOVE

#LOVE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE!

But what is a #LOVE image. What is #LOVE? #LOVE is the most popular hashtag on Instagram. Instagram has more than 1 billion users that use the app every month. It is the second most downloaded free app. The average Instagram user browses images 53 minutes a day. Instagram is used by 25% of smartphone users. The first ever photo posted to Instagram was of a dog (duh!) near a taco stand (double duh!), taken by a Instagram founder. As I write this, #LOVE has been used 2,147,483,647 times on Instagram. That is billion with a b.

Now if you read all that, and you were like, great, but what is a hashtag? Sigh.

A hashtag is a label used on social media sites that makes it easier to find information with a theme or specific content. Hashtags encourage social media users to explore content that catches their eye. Associations can use hashtags to reach their target audience and to help members filter information.

But for our purpose here, you don’t need to worry about a hashtag. The hashtag is merely the inspiration for this week’s theme. When you are considering your subjects, think, would it be something that somebody could hashtag it with LOVE? The subject could be something that you #LOVE, or it could be something that represents #LOVE to you. Whatever trips your heartstrings. I’m not here to judge. Love is love and #LOVE is #LOVE too.

While considering your possible subjects, think on the following quote and I know you will take a great #LOVE image:

Love makes your soul crawl out from its hiding place.
-Zora Neale Hurston

I look forward to your interpretations!

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of #LOVE in this place that is little more than a where I put all my loves next Monday.

Andy, Becky, Bill, Cathie, Dawn, Elizabeth, Evie, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Michelle, Micky, Monica, Shannon, Vest, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 331 – ROCK

January 17, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett

It appears that ROCK was a fairly popular theme. There were a decent amount of submissions.

Heading in to the second week of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE, these were the current streaks:

* Micky Augustin – 1 week
* Linda Bennett – 1 week
* Monica Henning – 1 week
* Jesse Howard – 1 week
* Logan Kahler – 1 week
* Carla Stensland – 1 week
* Evie Gorshe – 2 weeks
* Layla Gorshe – 2 weeks
* Teresa Kahler – 2 weeks
* Becky Parmelee – 2 weeks
* Andy Sharp – 2 weeks
* Bill Wentworth – 3 weeks
* Dawn Krause – 4 weeks
* Cathie Raley – 7 weeks
* Elizabeth Nordeen – 8 weeks
* Kim Barker – 10 weeks
* Shannon Bardole-Foley – 10 weeks
* Kio Dettman – 13 weeks
* Tamara Peterson – 13 weeks

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Kio Dettman (14 weeks)

Kio Dettman

Bill Wentworth (4 weeks)

Christopher D. Bennett

Evie Gorshe (3 weeks)

Elizabeth Nordeen (9 weeks)

Andy Sharp (3 weeks)

Andy Sharp

Michelle Haupt (1 week)

Dawn Krause (5 weeks)

Dawn Krause

Jesse Howard (2 weeks)

Kim Barker (11 weeks)

Cathie Raley (8 weeks)

Micky Augustin (2 weeks)

Shannon Bardole-Foley (11 weeks)

Mike Vest (1 week)

Becky Parmelee – (3 weeks)

Monica Henning (2 weeks)

Monica Henning

20 submissions by 16 participants. Sadly, streaks ended for Linda Bennett, Logan Kahler, Carla Stensland, Layla Gorshe, Teresa Kahler, and Tamara Peterson. Tamara’s streak was all the way up to 13 weeks. That leaves Kio as the sole King of the Streaks at 14. With Shannon and Kim in second at 11 weeks a piece.

TRIANGLE

TRIANGLE! What a great theme for Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE.

But what is a TRIANGLE image? It is simply a picture where the subject includes or is a TRIANGLE. Isosceles, equilateral, scalene, obtuse, acute, or right. Doesn’t matter. When you start to look for them, you will realize that TRIANGLE(s) are every where. Commonly used in construction and logos, for example. Heck, sometimes even love has a TRIANGLE.

While considering your possible TRIANGLE subjects, meditate on the following quote:

If triangles had a god, he would have three sides.
-Baron de Montesquieu

I look forward to seeing all your three sided interpretations.

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of TRIANGLE in this place that is little more than a love triangle amongst me, myself, and I next Monday.

Art, Michelle, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Jones County

January 11, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back I made a road trip with Michelle to harvest the town signs of Jones County.

Here are some facts about Jones County:

+ The population is 20,760 making it the 31st most populous county in Iowa. Below Carroll County and above Buchanan County.
+ Anamosa is the largest town and county seat.
+ Was founded in 1837 and is named after George Wallace Jones.
+ Home of Anamosa State Penitentiary.
+ Major highways are: US-151, IA-1, IA-38, IA-64, and IA-136.
+ Adjacent counties are Delaware, Dubuque, Jackson, Clinton, Cedar, and Linn.
+ Population peaked in 1900 at 21,954.

The Jones County Courthouse is pretty meh:

The Jones County Courthouse in Anamosa, Iowa.

The Jones County Freedom Rock is located in Stone City, Iowa:

With Jones County completed, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

53 counties completed. 53.5% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Jones County:

Anamosa, Iowa
ANAMOSA
BIRTHPLACE OF GRANT WOOD
*MUSEUMS
*ANTIQUES
NEXT EXIT
Population: 5,450 (-83)

Monticello, Iowa
MONTICELLO
Population: 3,796 (+244)

Cascade, Iowa (Partially in Dubuque County)
CASCADE
Population: 2,386 (+227)

Olin, Iowa
WELCOME TO OLIN
SINCE 1835
Stop for a Visit… Stay for a Lifetime!
Population: 651 (-47)

Wyoming, Iowa
Welcome To WYOMING
The Christmas City
Population: 523 (+8)

Oxford Junction, Iowa
OXFORD JUNCTION
EST. 1871
Population: 424 (-72)

Martelle, Iowa
WELCOME TO MARTELLE
The small town with the BIG Heart!
Population: 249 (-6)

Onslow, Iowa
Welceome to Onslow
Est. 1871
Population: 201 (+4)

Morely, Iowa
1925
MORLEY
Population: 966 (-15)

Stone City, Iowa (Unincorporated)
STONE CITY

I don’t know there is necessarily a terrible sign in this collection. If there is a worst sign, I guess I’d give it to Monticello. But Cascade is equally as boring.

For Best in Show, I think it is pretty obvious. While I like the town signs in Martelle, Olin, Oxford Junction and Morley for just being so weird, I have to give it to Anamosa.

Anamosa – Best in Show – Jones County

There are a couple alternate signs in Jones County:

Onslow – Alternate

Olin – Alternate

Monticello – Alternate

Cascade – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Decatur County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Jones County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Linn County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we hit the dusty trail for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we will end up in Cedar County.

Art, Michelle, Road Trip, Town Sign Project

Town Sign Project: Linn County

January 4, 2022 Christopher D. Bennett 2 Comments

A few weeks back I finished up harvesting the town signs of Linn County with Michelle.

Here are some facts about Linn County:

+ Population is 230,299 making it the second most populous county in Iowa. Below Polk County and above Scott County.
+ Cedar Rapids is county seat and largest town.
+ Linn County was organized in 1839.
+ Named for Senator Lewis F. Linn of Missouri.
+ Home of the Czech Village.
+ Home of Coe College.
+ Home of Cornell College.
+ Home of Mount Mercy University.
+ Home of PrairieMoon on Main, a stop on the Tenderloin Trail 2.0.
+ Major highways are: I-380, IA-27, US-30, US-151, US-218, IA-1, and IA-13.
+ Adjacent counties are Benton, Buchanan, Delaware, Cedar, Iowa, Johnson, and Jones.
+ Currently at its peak population.

Linn County has a beautiful courthouse:

The Linn County Courthouse in Cedar Rapids, Iowa.

The Linn County Freedom Rock is located in Central City, Iowa:

When I was there, it had yet to be painted, but should be painted by now. I will have to shoot back through there at some point and have a look. Probably on my way to Prairieburg.

With Linn County completed, this is the updated Photography 139 Conquest Map:

PURPLE=COMPLETED

52 counties finished. 52.5% of the Cyclone State conquered!

Here are the town signs of Linn County:

Cedar Rapids, Iowa
CEDAR RAPIDS
Population: 137,710 (+11,384)

Marion, Iowa
MARION
Population: 41,535 (+6,767)

Hiawatha, Iowa
Hiwatha!
Population: 7,183 (+159)

Mount Vernon, Iowa
MT VERNON
Population: 4,527 (+19)

Robins, Iowa
Welcome to Robins
Community Family Friends
Established 1888
Population: 3,353 (+211)

Fairfax, Iowa
HOME SWEET HOME
Fairfax
Est. 1863
Inc. 1936
Population: 2,828 (+705)

Center Point, Iowa
Center Point
Population: 2,579 (+158)

Ely, Iowa
ELY
ESTABLISHED 1872
Population: 2,328 (+552)

Lisbon, Iowa
LISBON
Est. 1875
Population: 2,233 (+81)

Palo, Iowa
PALO
Gateway to the Outdoors
Population: 1,407 (+381)

Walford, Iowa (Partially in Benton County)
WALFORD
Population: 1,366 (-97)

Central City, Iowa
CENTRAL CITY
EST. 1852
Population: 1,264 (-7)

Springville, Iowa
IT’S ALWAYS SPRING IN…
SPRINGVILLE
Population: 1,154 (+80)

Coggon, Iowa
Welcome to Coggon
“The one and only”
Population: 701 (+43)

Walker, Iowa
Welcome to…
WALKER
Population: 688 (-103)

Alburnett, Iowa
Alburnett
the comfort of country and community
Population: 675 (+2)

Bertram, Iowa
BERTRAM CITY LIMITS
Population: 269 (-25)

Prairieburg, Iowa
Welcome To Prairieburg
Population: 160 (-18)

The worst town sign in Linn County is pretty obvious. It is Bertram. The best they could manage is a city limits town sign.

I think the Best in Show in Linn County is pretty obvious. However, I’ll give Cedar Rapids some credit. For a large city, it has a pretty good town sign. I will also give some respect to the town signs of Robins and Palo, but clearly the best town sign belongs to Springville.

Springville – Best in Show – Linn County

There were a few alternate town signs in Linn County:

Robins – Alternate

Springville – Alternate

Mount Vernon – Alternate

Coggon – Alternate

Central City – Alternate

Alburnett – Alternate

Here is the current list of Best in Shows:

Best in Show – Adair County

Best in Show – Adams County

Best in Show – Audubon County

Best in Show – Benton County

Best in Show – Boone County

Best in Show – Bremer County

Best in Show – Butler County

Best in Show – Calhoun County

Best in Show – Carroll County

Best in Show – Cass County

Best in Show – Cerro Gordo County

Best in Show – Clarke County

Best in Show – Crawford County

Best in Show – Dallas County

Best in Show – Decatur County

Best in Show – Franklin County

Best in Show – Fremont County

Best in Show – Greene County

Best in Show – Grundy County

Best in Show – Guthrie County

Best in Show – Hamilton County

Best in Show – Hancock County

Best in Show – Hardin County

Best in Show – Humboldt County

Best in Show – Ida County

Best in Show – Jasper County

Best in Show – Kossuth County

Best in Show – Linn County

Best in Show – Lucas County

Best in Show – Madison County

Best in Show – Marion County

Best in Show – Marshall County

Best in Show – Mills County

Best in Show – Monona County

Best in Show – Montgomery County

Best in Show – Page County

Best in Show – Pocahontas County

Best in Show – Polk County

Best in Show – Poweshiek County

Best in Show – Ringgold County

Best in Show – Sac County

Best in Show – Shelby County

Best in Show – Story County

Best in Show – Tama County

Best in Show – Taylor County

Best in Show – Union County

Best in Show – Warren County

Best in Show – Wayne County

Best in Show – Webster County

Best in Show – Winnebago County

Best in Show – Worth County

Best in Show – Wright County

The next time we will hit the dusty trail for THE TOWN SIGN PROJECT, we end up in Jones County.

Calendar, Candid Portrait, Commercial, Drone, Elizabeth, Kim, Michelle, Nature, Work

Computer Mine Secret Santa

December 31, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

The December image from the 2022 Photography Calendar is a drone picture of a forest along the banks of the Des Moines River.

I hope people enjoy the calendar this year. I’ve got some positive feedback on it anyways.

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Several years ago, I used to finish the year with the Proust Questionnaire as a form of reflection on the year past. Well, I think we can all agree that 2021 was a terrible, terrible year. And while even terrible, terrible years do have some positives and are still worthy of reflection, I didn’t feel like doing the entire 31-35 question questionnaire. So I thought maybe just answering the Bernard Pivot Questionnaire would be enough:

1. What is your favorite word? Well… I actually overuse it more than actually enjoy using it.
2. What is your least favorite word? Maybe.
3. What is your favorite drug? The open road.
4. What sound or noise noise do you love? Juicy Wiggle.
5. What sound or noise do you hate? My phone ringing.
6. What is your favorite curse word? Mulkey.
7. Who would you like to see on a new banknote? Ted Lasso – Be curious. Not judgmental.
8. What profession other than your own would you not like to attempt? Most really. Any job with more human contact than mine. It is pretty evident at this point in history that humans suck at the aggregate level.
9. If you were reincarnated as some other plant or animal, what would it be? Golden retriever.
10. If Heaven exists, what would you like to hear God say when you arrive at the Pearly Gates? Matthew 25:21.

Maybe next year I’ll bring back the Proust Questionnaire. Maybe.

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Back a week or so ago, we did a Secret Santa thing at the Computer Mine for hybrid or work in the office full-time. I took some pictures for the Computer Mine social medias. Here are some pictures from the event:

Michelle was my Secret Santa. She got me some sweet Cyclone socks and some of my favorite candies. I was Denise’s Secret Santa. I got her some booze and some peanut butter cups.

Art, Bill, Calendar, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Drone, Elizabeth, Holidays, Iowa State, Jesse, Joe Duff, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Sara, Shannon, Still Life, Tamara, WPC - Submissions

WPC – WEEK 328 – HOLIDAYS

December 27, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

The August image of the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is a drone shot of the High Trestle Trail Bridge:

Tomorrow I will share the September image from the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar.

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HOLIDAYS proved to be fairly popular theme.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Dawn Krause

Elizabeth Nordeen

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Michelle Haupt

Tamara Peterson

Christopher D. Bennett

Kim Barker

Joe Duff

Micky Augustin

Dawn Krause

Carla Stensland

Bill Wentworth

Sara Lockner

Kio Dettman

Jesse Howard

Logan Kahler

Cathie Raley

Elizabeth Nordeen

EDUCATION

EDUCATION! What a great theme to end Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE on!

But what is an EDUCATION image? An EDUCATION photo is a picture of anything that relates to EDUCATION. Kids in school. A picture of school. Degrees. Diplomas. Books. Libraries. But not all EDUCATION happens in a school. I would actually argue that next to no EDUCATION happens in schools, but that is another subject for another time. However, my point is don’t discount other forms of EDUCATION. For example, back in my prime, I used to take fools to school on the basketball court all the time.

As you consider your possible subjects for EDUCATION, mediate on this scene from one of my all-time favorite movies GOOD WILL HUNTING:

CHUCKIE
Yeah, cause I think I had a class
with you.

At this point, several interested parties materialize. Morgan
Billy and Will try, as inconspicuously as possible, to situate
themselves within listening distance. A rather large student
in a HARVARD LACROSSE sweatshirt, CLARK (22) notices Chuckie.
He [Clark] walks over to Skylar and Lydia, nobly hovering
over them as protector. This gets Will, Morgan, and Billy’s
attention.

SKYLAR
What class?

CHUCKIE
Ah, history I think.

SKYLAR
Oh…

CHUCKIE
Yah, it’s not a bad school…

At this point, Clark can’t resist and steps in.

CLARK
What class did you say that was?

CHUCKIE
History.

CLARK
How’d you like that course?

CHUCKIE
Good, it was all right.

CLARK
History? Just “history?” It must
have been a survey course then.

Chuckie nods. Clark notices Chuckie’s clothes. Will and Billy
exchange a look and move subtly closer.

CLARK
Pretty broad. “History of the World?”

CHUCKIE
Hey, come on pal we’re in classes
all day. That’s one thing about
Harvard never seizes to amaze me,
everybody’s talkin’ about school all
the time.

CLARK
Hey, I’m the last guy to want to
talk about school at the bar. But as
long as you’re here I want to “seize”
the opportunity to ask you a question.

Billy shifts his beer into his left hand. Will and Morgan
see this. Morgan rolls his eyes as if to say “not again…”

CLARK
Oh, I’m sure you covered it in your
history class.

Clark looks to see if the girls are impressed. They are not.

When Clark looks back to Chuckie, Skylar turns to Lydia and
rolls her [own] eyes. They laugh. Will sees this and smiles.

CHUCKIE
To tell you the truth, I wasn’t there
much. The class was rather elementary.

CLARK
Elementary? Oh, I don’t doubt that
it was. I remember the class, it was
just between recess and lunch.

Will and Billy come forward, stand behind Chuckie.

CHUCKIE
All right, are we gonna have a
problem?

CLARK
There’s no problem. I was just hoping
you could give me some insight into
the evolution of the market economy
in the early colonies. My contention
is that prior to the Revolutionary
War the economic modalities especially
of the southern colonies could most
aptly be characterized as agrarian
precapitalist and…

Will, who at this point has migrated to Chuckie’s side and
is completely fed-up, includes himself in the conversation.

WILL
Of course that’s your contention.
You’re a first year grad student.
You just finished some Marxian
historian, Pete Garrison prob’ly,
and so naturally that’s what you
believe until next month when you
get to James Lemon and get convinced
that Virginia and Pennsylvania were
strongly entrepreneurial and
capitalist back in 1740. That’ll
last until sometime in your second
year, then you’ll be in here
regurgitating Gordon Wood about the
Pre-revolutionary utopia and the
capital-forming effects of military
mobilization.

CLARK
(taken aback)
Well, as a matter of fact, I won’t,
because Wood drastically
underestimates the impact of–

WILL
“Wood drastically underestimates the
impact of social distinctions
predicated upon wealth, especially
inherited wealth…” You got that
from “Work in Essex County,” Page
421, right? Do you have any thoughts
of your own on the subject or were
you just gonna plagiarize the whole
book for me?

Clark is stunned.

WILL
Look, don’t try to pass yourself off
as some kind of an intellect at the
expense of my friend just to impress
these girls.

Clark is lost now, searching for a graceful exit, any exit.

WILL
The sad thing is, in about 50 years
you might start doin’ some thinkin’
on your own and by then you’ll realize
there are only two certainties in
life.

CLARK
Yeah? What’re those?

WILL
One, don’t do that. Two — you
dropped a hundred and fifty grand on
an education you coulda’ picked up
for a dollar fifty in late charges
at the Public Library.

Will catches Skylar’s eye.

CLARK
But I will have a degree, and you’ll
be serving my kids fries at a drive
through on our way to a skiing trip.

WILL
(smiles)
Maybe. But at least I won’t be unoriginal.
(beat)
And if you got a problem with that,
I guess we can step outside and deal
with it that way.

I look forward to seeing your interpretation next week.

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Next Monday will mark the beginning of Year 9 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. Here are the 52 themes for next year:

1. Black + White
2. Rock
3. Triangle
4. #love
5. Junk
6. Believe
7. Still Life
8. Harmony
9. Hobbies
10. Government
11. Abstract
12. Shadow
13. Framed
14. Gratitude
15. Orange
16. Letters or Numbers
17. #Instagood
18. Square
19. Slice of Life
20. Hat
21. History
22. Flower
23. Children
24. Service
25. Self-Portrait
26. Entertainment
27. Road Trip
28. Work
29. Wild
30. Odd Camera Angle
31. People
32. Family
33. Animal
34. Weekends
35. Circle
36. Colorful
37. Green
38. Paths
39. Signs
40. Ruins
41. Violet
42. Macro
43. Lines
44. Art
45. Decoration
46. Strong
47. Communication
48. In the Air
49. Street Photography
50. Water
51. Explore
52. Body Part

Now you can start thinking on them, but you can’t start shooting them. Them’s the rules. Speaking of rules…

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of EDUCATION in this place that is little more than result of my misspent learning next Monday.

Amanda, Angie, Black & White, Calendar, Candid Portrait, Carla, Cathie, Dawn, Elainie, Elizabeth, Holidays, Jen, Jesse, Kim, Kio, Logan, Michelle, Micky, Nature, Sara, Tamara, Teresa, WPC - Submissions

WPC – 327 – CANDID PORTRAIT

December 20, 2021 Christopher D. Bennett

The January image for the 2022 Photography 139 Calendar is an image I took for THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE. It is of a corn crib (methinks) that was blown askew by the derecho. It is slightly east of Boone on US-30.

Tomorrow I will reveal the February image.

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Thus far, CANDID PORTRAIT has proven to be a very popular theme.

But you didn’t come here to listen to me talk all tommyrot about participation rates. You came to see the submissions:

Kim Barker

Elizabeth Nordeen

Carla Stensland

Shannon Bardole-Foley

Christopher D. Bennett

Tamara Peterson

Jesse Howard

Jen Ensely-Gorshe

Angie DeWaard

Jen Ensley-Gorshe

Teresa Kahler

Michelle Haupt

Kio Dettman

Micky Augustin

Logan Kahler

Dawn Krause

Logan Kahler

Cathie Raley

Sara Lockner

HOLIDAYS

HOLIDAYS! What a great theme for Year 8 of THE WEEKLY PHOTO CHALLENGE! But wait, I thought the themes were random? Seems also convenient that HOLIDAYS is the theme the same week as Christmas? Yeah, it does seem convenient. Perhaps even desperately random…

But what exactly is a HOLIDAYS image? Simply put, a HOLIDAYS image is just any image that suggest the celebration of a HOLIDAY. Opening presents, decorations, making treats, hanging with family or friends or co-workers. There are so many possibilities! And yes, Christmas is this week, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go to the basement and pull out your favorite Arbor Day decoration and take a picture of that.

While considering your possible subjects for your HOLIDAYS image, consider the following quote:

A lovely thing about Christmas is that it’s compulsory, like a thunderstorm, and we all go through it together.
-Garrison Keillor

RULES

You can send your images to either bennett@photography139.com OR you may text them to my Pixel 5.

That is all I got, so if the good Lord’s willin’ and the creek don’t rise, we will all be sharing our idea of HOLIDAYS in this place that is little more than where I go for my personal holidays next Monday.